Intuition
by hungryrobotbaby
Summary: Cophine AU. Majoring in Biology, Cosima runs head first into the life of an artistic stranger. Will they let their emotions play out, or will logic prevail?
1. Variables

**_Author's note: Hello, new friends. This is my first writing project that I've done in quite a while, but boredom and summer break equal the ideal formula in this case! Hopefully there's much to come. xx_**

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><p>Cosima was nervous, yes, but she knew it had to be done now. Her fingers pecked at the keys of her keyboard, unsure of the words she was typing. Of course, it was only a research paper that she was writing, but she knew she had to finish before her plans tomorrow night.<p>

Slumped over in her swiveling desk chair, she pushed up her glasses and rubbed her eyes. The clock on her laptop showed that it was nearly one in the morning, and Cosima knew that it never lied. Besides, outside her window, the moon eerily illuminated the side of the library a short distance away. The student still had a lot of work to do, but Scott would be coming early the next morning to walk Cosima to her first period class.

Disgruntled and tired, she saved her work and shut her laptop. The hardwood floor was cold as her bare feet shuffled over to her bed. Her glasses gently hit the nightstand, and before long, she was sound asleep.

A blinding light woke her up, seemingly moments after. It took a moment for Cosima to get her senses together; the old mattress creaked under her as she swung her legs around to hit the floor. And then a persistent knocking at the front door suddenly alerted her.

"Shit!" Quickly, she put her glasses on and looked at the clock. 7:02! Class started in thirteen minutes, so she immediately knew that it was Scott waiting for her outside. Cosima nearly ran to the door and swung it open. Sure enough, Scott was standing there, mid-knock. "One sec, Scott. I woke up a little late."

He pushed his glasses up his nose and ran his hand over his hair to smooth it down, looking a bit amused with Cosima's state of panic. "I can see that, Cos. I thought we went over this." He laughed.

The girl was too busy rushing around to answer him, however. She got dressed urgently, not even caring that Scott was watching her. He blushed and looked away as she slipped into a chunky-knit sweater.

Within minutes, Cosima was out the door, laptop bag in hand. By the rate that she got ready, it was fairly apparent that, in her words, she's "kinda always late."

It was cold outside as Scott and Cosima walked across the quad, but only cold enough to create a subtle sensation on her cheeks and nose. She was used to the chilly Minnesota weather.

Scott dropped a gloved hand on Cosima's shoulder. "So, my friend, concert tonight?"

She looked up at him and shrugged a bit. "Dunno. Depends."

"On what? You've been looking forward to this for weeks!" He threw his hands up to exaggerate the point he was trying to make.

She snickered to herself. "Yeah, well, it seems that I might have procrastinated on my Immunology paper a bit."

Scott pushed her with his elbow. "You mean the one that's due tomorrow and worth a gigantic portion of your final grade?"

"Indeed, my dear Scott. That's the one." She raised an eyebrow and smirked, despite the fact that she knew a lecture was going to be coming from her friend within moments.

He laughed, immediately notifying Cosima that he had no intention to be stern (Not that she had expected him to be). "Well get it done. I don't care what happens, but you're coming to this concert whether you like it or not."

"Don't worry."

The giggling pair sauntered into their Biotechnology lecture exactly five minutes late, rewarding themselves with the death-glare, courtesy of their professor. Cosima was used to it, but Scott's smile quickly faded as they found their seats in the back row.

After class, Scott and Cosima said their good-byes, and Cosima quickly started her walk to the library to finish her paper. The warm air from inside the building welcomed her chilled bones.

The dreadlocked girl took a seat at an empty table near the back of the main room. She was distracted by windows, but also by people. Cosima was definitely a people person. She took a moment to warm her fingertips against her jeans, and then she opened her laptop to continue her work.

She typed for hours, only stopping when hunger pains disrupted her. Her hungry suddenly reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since last night. Luckily, she had been working for hours, and her research paper showed it. When she needed to, Cosima went on "auto-pilot" (as Scott calls it), and she can work for long hours at a time. That was definitely the case here, as she only had two pages left to write. Simple, she thought.

After a quick munch on a sandwich that she had packed earlier, Cosima finished what she was doing. She quickly saved her essay, and began the short walk back to her dorm. The sun was already going down, but she knew she wouldn't have to rush to get ready for her big night out. After all, she still had until nine pm, and the event was no more than five minutes off campus in a bar that she frequented with her fellow science majors.

The lock stuck as usual, and when she walked in, she saw everything exactly as she left it: desk messy with papers and knick-knacks, bookcase overflowing with novels and textbooks, and miscellaneous empty take-out containers. Her mother would be appalled at how cluttered she kept her workplace. After all, she had always taken after her father.

Cosima took a quick shower, warming her up, and then texted Scott to let him know that their plans were still on:

Cosima: "finished the paper. haha told you i would"

Scott: "knew u would, Niehaus. u never let me down. pick u up 8"

Since she had time, Cosima decided that she would put some effort into her appearance tonight. She knew she didn't have to impress Scott. After all, they were only friends. They had know each other since chemistry class in high school, although they weren't very close back then. Somehow, they found each other in college, and Scott's dorky charm combined with Cosima's people skills helped them reconnect. Two years later, and they couldn't be better friends.

Sitting in her mismatched underwear, Cosima mentally went through all of her outfit options. Green dress with heels? No, too fancy. Jeans and sweater? Nah, she wore that type of thing too often. Eventually, she settled on a short-sleeved black dress and ankle boots. Not too fancy, but also a bit out of her comfort zone. Like always, she stacked a couple of rings on her fingers and put a few sentimental bracelets on her wrists. The jewelry never really changed. It was her thing. Besides the dreadlocks, of course.

For once, she had to wait outside until Scott strolled up the pathway to her door, dressed in a simple maroon cardigan and khaki pants. Cosima guessed that khaki was Scott's thing. She found it kind of cute.

He smiled when he saw her. "Wow, Niehaus! Lookin' good."

She mocked a surprised tone. "You sound shocked, Scott. Although you aren't looking bad yourself."

This brought a nervous giggle from him. "Well thanks. Anyway, we should go."

"Indeed, we shall."

The pair walked in comfortable silence to the venue. Before she left, Cosima decided to throw her red coat on, to avoid freezing her ass off on the walk there. She noted the way that it had become significantly more cold since this morning. The air was a bit more harsh as it chilled Cosima's face.

The cold didn't bother her though, and she maintained a happy face for the rest of the walk to the bar.

Music and voices could be heard from down the block, but it wasn't until Scott and Cosima made it to the entrance that they found the bar filled with people like sardines in a tin.

They both pushed their way past the crowds of people, stopping at the bar for a drink. Every barstool was full with people of many different breeds: college kids, older women, creepy guys. Cosima found great pleasure in being with people, though, no matter who they were. She had always been a social butterfly. Scott, however, was a bit more awkward in these situations. His comfort zone always consisted of people around his own intellectual level.

After ordering their drinks, the pair shimmied through another group of people to find an empty space on the crowded dance floor. The band hadn't started yet, so most of the people were fairly stagnant.

With the dim lights and enormous amount of people, Cosima had a hard time recognizing any specific faces. Despite this, she felt the same pair of eyes looking at her every so often- she just didn't know where they were or who they belonged to. Soon, though, the band started by playing one of her favorite songs. She had a couple drinks, and her inhibitions made a steady decline.

A couple songs later, Cosima was having a great time dancing with her friend. It seemed like every person there was captivated by the brunette's confident and fluid movements, dancing like water. Again, she felt the eyes on her, but no longer did she pay attention to whose they were.

When the band called for a short intermission, Cosima offered to go get more drinks for her and Scott. She walked back to the bar, leaning against it and wiping her forehead with the back her her hand. She didn't mind that the bartender was busy- after all, she could see how crowded it was and how many people were drinking. While she was waiting, she looked to her side and was met face to face with eyes that seemed familiar.

It was a blonde- dressed eccentrically in an oversized blouse and tight pants. She spoke, and Cosima could hear an accent over the loud chatter of the rest of the place.

"I'm sorry, I've been looking at you all night. You're gorgeous." The mysterious woman laughed at herself, shaking her head and holding out her hand. "Sorry. I'm Delphine."

Cosima chuckled and shook Delphine's hand. "Thanks, I guess. I'm Cosima. Nice accent. Do you go to school around here, or..."

The blonde nodded enthusiastically. "Oui. Yes. Art student. That must be why I observe everyone and make them uncomfortable."

"Art, huh? Sometimes I wish I was good at art." The science student tilted her head and looked at her new acquaintance. She was beautiful in the classic sense of the word- she had golden curls that swept past her shoulders and beautiful eyes. Typically Cosima's type, too. While she considered herself attracted to both boys and girls, there was no question that she was very very interested in women.

"Hey, I'm sure you're great." She giggled, and in the distance, Cosima could hear the singer of the band signal that intermission was over. Before Delphine took off, she leaned a bit closer to the shorter girl. She could smell alcohol and cigarettes on her breath. "I'd love to do a portrait of you sometime, if you'd be interested. I'm sorry, that's probably a strange request, but I don't see photogenic people like you everyday."

"Uh, yeah... that'd be cool. Here, I'll give you my number." She wrote it messily on a napkin with a pen that Delphine provided from her pocket.

Delphine put the pen back, along with the napkin. "You know, my boyfriend loves when I do portraits. Anyway, I'll call you!" With that, she disappeared back into the crowd, and the music started to play again. Boyfriend, Cosima thought. Just my luck.

Cosima watched as her new acquaintance started to laugh with a group of people she didn't recognize. All of them fit the typical art student stereotype. Then she looked down at herself, wondering why someone so carefree would be interested in someone like herself. She walked back to her place in the crowd, with no drinks in hand.


	2. Control

Several days had passed by the time Delphine called Cosima. In fact, the unknown number caught the dreadlocked girl by surprise- by now, she had almost forgotten about their encounter.

Cosima picked up the phone. Sure enough, she instantly recognized the French woman's soft accent. "Hello... Cosima?" She sounded shy, which was unexpected because of how forward she was when she introduced herself at the bar.

"Yeah, it's me. Did you think I gave you a fake number or something?" She laughed, immediately hearing a laugh on the other side.

"No, of course not... Though it wouldn't be the first time."

Cosima mocked a shocked gasp. "Wow, someone has given you a fake number? I'd expect it to be the other way around." She smirked to herself. "Anyway, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you'd still be interested in my offer? I mean, specifically, the one where I asked to paint you. I know how weird that probably sounds... I'm sorry." Delphine sounded a bit nervous, but Cosima didn't know why. After all, she had already said yes to the woman's proposition when they first met.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course." She started to talk with her hands, even though she knew Delphine couldn't see her. "So how do you usually do this? Am I just supposed to go to your place, or..."

The other woman let out a quick chuckle. "Well, usually, I just paint people I know... I guess I don't know. I just saw you, though, and something intrigued me. With that being said, I propose that we get to know each other a bit. Portraits are easier when I know one's personality, you know?"

"Ah, yeah, sure. There's this carnival thing going on this week... I don't know if you've heard about it, but maybe we could go?"

Cosima heard the ruffling of papers on the other line. "Yes, that sounds great. I'm free tonight, if that works for you?"

"Sure. I'll come pick you up around seven." She didn't even have to check her calendar, because she knew how empty it was.

After Delphine gave Cosima her address and they said their good-byes, the brunette sat on the floor in her dorm for awhile. She had already finished her classes for today and Scott was busy with some new girl, so she had nothing to do other than think of her plan for tonight.

Delphine couldn't be interested in Cosima; not with a boyfriend that she looked happy with. The scientist still worried though- what would they even talk about tonight? Suddenly, she was hit with a wave of nervousness while thinking about all the things that could go wrong. She had two hours to get her shit together before Delphine would be expecting her.

She decided to start getting ready now, in an attempt to calm her uneasy nerves. She thought about lighting up a joint, but she didn't want to be high when she met up with the blonde woman. A bad real first impression was the last thing she needed.

Cosima got up, pulling off her old grey hoodie in the process. She never really put much effort into her clothes. Her style was just _her_. This time, though, she had someone to impress. Once again, she sat in her underwear, trying to figure out something to wear. This time, she opted for tight black pants and another nice sweater. This is the type of thing that she felt comfortable in. After this, she slipped on a good-looking pair of black sneakers and her beloved jewelry. Her dreadlocks remained in their usual 'do.

By the time Cosima was sure she looked presentable, it was time to go. Luckily, tonight was much less cold than the previous nights so she didn't have to wear her heavy coat. She started her walk to Delphine's apartment, enjoying the sights and sounds on her way. She noted the noise of traffic in the distance, but also the sound of the breeze rustling the trees above her.

Before long, she found herself waiting just outside Delphine's building. At exactly seven, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She swung her head around, letting her eyes meet with the blonde. Now that she had the proper time and lighting to really look at Delphine, she noticed so much more than the first time. Her nails were painted dark blue. She had a freckle just under her lower lip, and again, her hair was tied on top of her head. Even without the aid of alcohol, this woman was just as beautiful.

Cosima pushed her glasses further up her nose and smiled a bright smile. "Hey, you look great."

"Thank you. You too!" Delphine smiled and tilted her head to one side, her accent as evident as in the bar and on the phone.

Things were a bit awkward at first, but as the pair walked to the carnival, the tension slowly slipped away. Cosima learned that Delphine's family had moved to the States because of her father's work in the science field. It was interesting to Cosima- she shared her story about moving from San Francisco, and before long, they had arrived at their destination.

It was a lively scene- lights shined brightly and people of all ages walked in large groups. Cosima smiled; this was the type of thing that she found joy in. Delphine appeared to be satisfied too. The flashing lights from various attractions reflected against her hazel eyes.

They stood in awe at the entrance for a couple moments before Cosima turned to the taller woman and looked up at her. "So," she held out her arms and spun a couple times, "Where should we start?"

Together, the pair walked shoulder to shoulder through rows upon rows of booths. They only paused when Delphine stopped to admire an oversized polar bear stuffed animal at a game that involved throwing hoops onto large bottles.

"Mon Dieu, Cosima! Hang on, I need to win that bear." The French woman was jumping with excitement, much like a small child would. Cosima found it kind of adorable.

She shook her head and let out a small giggle. "These things are rigged, but okay. Good luck!" Cosima stepped back and watched as Delphine pulled a dollar bill from her purse.

The vendor took the bill from her thin fingers and snickered, looking at Delphine up and down. "I've never seen such a beautiful woman in my life. Good luck, darling." Cosima shot him a stern glance.

Delphine got three chances to land a hoop on a bottle, barely missing each time. When finished, she looked dejectedly at Cosima with a pout on her face. "That was my last dollar."

Just as she began to walk away, Cosima stopped her and pulled a dollar from her pocket. "Let me try this." She discreetly flipped the shady vendor off when she caught him staring at Delphine again. He made a "hmmph" sound and handed the hoops to her.

Her first shot was a dud- she threw the hoop to hard and too high. By the second time, however, she had altered the way she threw it, but it was still no good. Finally, on her last try, the hoop landed perfectly on the top of the bottle. Her success elicited an excited squeal from the French girl.

The vendor, however, was none too pleased. He ran his hand over his short grey beard and crossed his arms. "Pick your prize."

Of course, Cosima pointed to the polar bear. "That one." She smirked smugly as she waved goodbye to the man in the booth; the stuffed animal was almost too big to carry.

"Wow," Delphine said with a smile, "You got the one I wanted."

Cosima nodded. "Indeed I did." She held the bear out toward her. "That's why I'm giving him to his rightful owner."

Even in the dim light of the setting sun, Cosima saw Delphine blush. "Me? You won for me?"

The dreadlocked girl smiled gallantly. "Well, yeah... I saw how you looked at that thing. It was the least I could do."

"Wow, yes, I'm definitely seeing your personality now, Cosima. This portrait will be très bien." Slowly, Cosima's smile faded. Before this, she had almost completely forgotten that this wasn't a date. She didn't let this memory ruin her night, though. She wouldn't let that happen.

The two women kept walking, then, eventually stopping to eat some greasy carnival food. Delphine reveled at how many different foods Americans were willing to fry. She broke the silence while they were feasting on their calorie-filled dinners. "So, you still haven't told me much about you. Tell me about your hobbies, or boyfriends, or something. Tell me about the interesting life of Cosima."

The smaller woman laughed as she was chewing a bite of food, so it came out as more of an animalistic sound. "Well, there's not much in the boyfriend category, that's for sure."

Delphine looked confused. "Too busy for a boyfriend, or?"

"Hah, well yes and no. It's mostly just because I find the ladies a bit more intriguing, if you catch my drift."

The blonde's eyes grew wide and she smiled with an open mouth full of food. She quickly noticed how she reacted, swallowed, and wiped her mouth. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

Cosima smirked without delay. "Nah dude, it's no big deal. I mean, we just met, like, a couple days ago. No biggie."

The two talked a bit about miscellaneous things after that- Cosima's life at college, Delphine's lifelong passion for art. They had really hit it off; by later in the night, they laughed together like old friends (despite Cosima's growing fondness for the French woman).

To end their night at the carnival, they decided to take a ride in the giant Ferris wheel. Delphine seemed hesitant at first, but she agreed. After Cosima bought their tickets, they strapped themselves in, side-by-side in the swinging compartment. All was well until they started their ascent.

As the small chamber began to move and the ground got further and further away, Delphine quickly grabbed the side-rail and hung on until her knuckles turned white.

When Cosima asked if she was okay, Delphine shook her head a bit and feigned a smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows. "You're not... Are you afraid of heights or something?"

"Oui." The other woman's nod was barely detectable. "Maybe a little... Distract me."

"What?" Hurriedly, Cosima thought of distractions in her head. Obviously she couldn't kiss her- she was pretty sure Delphine was straight, and besides, she already had a boyfriend.

"Please just do something." Delphine's grip remained visibly tight on the bar, and her fearful expression broke Cosima's heart.

Because of this, she said the first thing that came to mind: "Did you know that the first Ferris wheel was made by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition?"

Delphine shook her head slightly.

Cosima continued. "Yeah, and this Ferris guy supposedly designed it to compete with the Eiffel Tower." She laughed. "I must say, that's one of my favorite cases of rivalry between the USA and France."

The French woman's lips curved upwards a bit and her grip on the aluminum bar loosened.

The other woman kept talking, though. "I mean, I could totally go on about all the physics and stuff behind it all, but I'm sure I'd bore you to death. I wouldn't want you to die in the hands of a dull nerd."

"You're not a nerd," Delphine whispered.

Luckily, Cosima's soliloquy lasted the entirety of the Ferris wheel ride, and by the time she was done talking, it was already time to climb out of their cabin. She helped the other woman's shaky hands to unbuckle them both, and they stood near the exit for awhile so Delphine could catch her breath.

The blonde woman tightened the bun on top of her head and smoothed out her blouse. "Oh my. I think I need a drink after that." She giggled.

Cosima nodded. "You know what? I think you're right." She checked the time on her cell phone. "You know, it's only ten. Do you want to go to Charlie's?" The bar where they met. Cosima found comfort there.

Delphine nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I'd like that."

The two girls found their way out of the fair and walked under the plentiful street lights to the bar. Cosima decided to introduce Delphine to a shortcut that she often used to get through town, guiding her across an empty lot.

"Cosima, are you sure you know what you're doing?" With her face illuminated by the dim moonlight, Delphine appeared concerned.

She nodded and used her hand to dismiss Delphine's fear. "I've done this plenty of times. Trust me."

She kept walking, climbing through a hole in the chain link fence and down a narrow alley. Sure enough, Charlie's was less than a block away. Cosima adopted her famous smug expression. "Told you."

Together, they walked to the entrance. The smaller girl swung the heavy door open, and the two women walked inside.

Immediately, Cosima recognized a lot of the regulars. There were a couple of creepy older guys that had tried to make moves on her in the past, but also some of her friends. She casually waved at them, ignoring their obscene gestures between her and Delphine.

They ordered their drinks and decided to sit at the corner booth a couple feet away from each other. They sipped drink after drink, each girl becoming a bit tipsy. They talked for awhile, and Cosima noted how her friend's French accent got thicker with each drink. It was almost indistinguishable when Delphine asked her to dance.

She allowed the foreign girl to pull her to the nearly empty dance floor, following her clumsy movements. All was going well under a tall and slender man approached them. He had short grey hair and eyes like steel. Nothing about him seemed friendly, but sure enough, he turned to Cosima. "Mind if I cut in?"

By this time, Delphine was more than a bit drunk, and didn't really know what was happening. Cosima had a bad feeling about this guy, though, despite the fact that she was also pretty drunk. Ignoring the girls' polite denial of the man's request, he remained persistent. In fact, he even tried to pull Delphine away from Cosima. Suddenly, she snapped at him. "Hey! She said no, ok? Get the hell out of here."

He put his mouth close to Cosima's ear, and she could smell a heavy amount of alcohol on his breath. "Just give me a minute with your little girlfriend."

Before he could even back away completely, Cosima was swinging her fist to his jaw. When flesh hit flesh, she immediately felt sober. She watched as the man stumbled backward, holding his hand against his face where Cosima had hit him.

With a ferocity that she didn't know she possessed, she snarled at the man. "No means no, asshole."

Quickly, she saw Delphine's shocked expression and grabbed her hand. She walked briskly, pulling the other woman behind her. She ignored the profanities that the man and his friends were yelling as the girls walked out.

Cosima and Delphine walked down the street in silence, eventually stopping a block down in front of a closed bookstore. The brunette let to of Delphine and laid her hand against her arm when she saw that she was crying. "Hey," she cooed, "don't cry. Did you know that bastard?"

Delphine wiped her eyes and shook her head. "No... I'm sorry."

"For what?" Cosima was still speaking low and in a concerned tone.

Delphine gently picked up the smaller woman's hand and pointed to her knuckles. They were already turning black and blue.

Cosima shrugged and tried to smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm ok. I'll walk you back to your place."

Together, they walked in silence. Cosima looked up at Delphine periodically until she was sure that she had stopped crying. It didn't take long before they had arrived back at Delphine's apartment building. She took out her keys as she and the other woman rode up the elevator. There was a tall man leaning against a door at the end of the hallway. He was dressed in a flannel shirt and a beanie capped his head, brown locks of hair spilling out from underneath.

He began to walk towards them. At first Cosima didn't recognize him, but then she remembered him from the group that Delphine was with at the bar, days earlier. She figured he must have been her boyfriend. _Boyfriend_, she thought. It still wasn't a word that she liked to associate with the French woman.

The tall man addressed his girlfriend, ignoring Cosima altogether. "Where the hell were you? Do you know what time it is?"

Delphine shook her head, already tearing up again. "I'm sorry. I was out with Cosima and things happened."

He threw his hands up, raising his voice. "_Things_? I don't care what things happened. You should have called me and told me where the hell you were."

"Jeremy, I told you I was going out tonight." She turned away from him and looked at Cosima.

"I'm sorry, Cosima. This is Jeremy, my boyfriend."

"Hey Jeremy. I've heard a lot about you." Cosima held up her uninjured hand as a silent salutation.

He glanced at the brunette for a moment, but that's all the attention he gave her. Instead, he grabbed Delphine by her arm and began to walk back toward the door to her apartment. Cosima wondered if they lived together and how long he had been waiting outside.

Before she went inside, Delphine looked apologetically at Cosima. She waved a small good-bye, disappearing into her home.

Cosima stood in the middle of the hallway for awhile, watching as the heavy steel door slammed shut. Only then did she wonder if she would ever get that portrait painted.


	3. Transfigure

**Thank you for all of the positive feedback so far! I'm having a great time writing this story, and I have a lot planned. What would you guys like to see in future chapters? I hope you enjoy! xx**

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><p>That night, Cosima walked home wondering if she'd ever even see Delphine again. Of course she wanted to- after tonight, she <em>definitely<em> wanted to. This fear followed Cosima like a dark cloud until she got back to her dorm. It stood motionless for the rest of the night, until her tired eyes drooped shut.

She awoke late into the afternoon, groggy and a bit hungover from the night before. She took an aspirin, brushed her teeth, and checked her phone for messages. Of course she had nearly a billion from Scott, asking where she was and if she was ok. Most of them were from last night, but she responded and told him that she was fine.

Past all of Scott's messages, however, she had a missed call from Delphine. Apparently she had called about an hour ago. Cosima was afraid to call her back, fearing what she might say. She clicked "call", however, and waiting a couple seconds until Delphine picked up the phone.

"Hello? Cosima?" Her accent was still recognizable, and still majestic in Cosima's ears. She even caught herself smiling at the simple answer.

"Hi, Delphine. Is everything cool with you and your boyfriend?" She rubbed her temples with her fingers and closed her eyes, cursing herself for her stupid response.

Delphine's voice crackled from the phone. "Yes. Don't worry about him... He just gets a bit angry sometimes. I actually called to apologize..." She paused. "I didn't have a chance to thank you for everything last night."

"It's not a big deal. We probably shouldn't have been out so late." She laughed nervously.

"Oui, but it's my fault. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to come over later? For the portrait?" She sounded hopeful.

Immediately Cosima sat up. "Uh yeah, sure. Any time you want me." She shook her head. "I mean, want me to come over. For the portrait. Duh."

Delphine laughed. "Can you come in an hour?"

"Sure."

After they said their good-byes and hung up, Cosima got ready and ate something to soothe her starving stomach. By the time she had finished, it was time to go.

She threw on her heavy red peacoat and headed out into the cold. The walk to Delphine's apartment was based on memory from the night before. She remembered fairly well, besides one wrong turn. It didn't talk long for her to get there.

The elevator ride to the third floor was short, and the walk down the hallway was even shorter. Just as she was about to knock, Delphine slid the door open.

"Bonjour, Cosima. I promise I wasn't waiting for you. Anyway, please come in!"

Cosima followed her, observing all of her new surroundings. It immediately occurred to her that the loft doubled as Delphine's workplace. The concrete floor was splattered with dried paint, and in one corner of the room sat a large easel with a wooden stool a couple feet away. It was all very intriguing- the entire place was essentially one large open room. Cosima saw the kitchen to her left as she walked in, and there was a couch to her right. The place was charming.

"Nice place. Very artistic." Cosima smiled.

Delphine blushed. "Merci. I've just been trying to get everything ready for you."

Cosima nodded and walked toward the easel. "Wow, I must be important." She laughed and gingerly ran her fingers over the big white canvas. Then she took her coat off and hung it on the vintage coatrack that Delphine pointed out on their way in.

"Oh, of course. Would you like some wine?" She held up a bottle of white wine that appeared to be pretty expensive.

"Are you sure you want to open that for me?" Cosima raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, I'm sure. My mother always told me that guests are worthy of even the most expensive wine." She poured two glasses and handed one to Cosima. Of course, the wine was better than any she had ever tasted.

The two women talked for awhile, and it was admittedly a bit more awkward than the day before. Cosima couldn't shake the fear that Delphine's boyfriend would walk in and things would get bad again.

After they finished their glasses, Delphine raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Ready?"

Cosima nodded and smiled politely, setting down her glass. The artist stood at her easel, appearing to be getting ready. Eventually, she motioned to the stool that Cosima saw earlier. "Could you sit there, please?"

Cosima obeyed, and sat on the wooden stool covered in dry and crusty paint. She settled comfortably, however her shoulders and back remained stiff.

The blonde observed her, letting her hazel eyes stare directly at Cosima's relaxed figure. She began to sketch, resting to put a cigarette in her mouth, yet never lighting it. Soon, she stopped sketching and shook her head to herself. "Non, ce n'est pas correct," she said quietly, so Cosima wouldn't hear.

"What did you say?" Cosima tilted her head again, adopting a sudden concerned expression while pursing her lips.

Delphine quickly shook her head to dismiss the dreadlocked girl's question, however she got up and started walking away from the easel. She surveyed everything; from the way Cosima was sitting, to the look on her face. Something just didn't seem right. Maybe Cosima was too tense. She talked closer to where the science student sat. With the unlit cigarette still hanging from her rosy lips, she whispered "Close your eyes."

Cosima quickly complied, letting her eyes droop shut. Still, her shoulders were fixed in their jagged position. Delphine continued to walk closer, satisfied that her subject didn't know exactly how close she was. She figured this out, because she felt goosebumps rise against the brunette's skin when she pulled the cigarette from her mouth and put her lips against her ear.

Slow music still played in the background, but Cosima still had no problem hearing the artist's carefully spoken words. "If you want me to paint you properly, you'll have to relax." As she spoke, her breath warmed Cosima inside and out.

After swallowing hard, the scientist spoke quietly. By now, she felt Delphine's presence directly in front of her face, although her eyes remained closed. "Maybe I'm out of my mind, but I don't think you brought me here solely for the purpose of art."

The French woman let out a soft laugh, sounding like she had an epiphany. "Perhaps you're right."

Before Cosima could formulate a response, she felt a soft hand brush against her cheek and a pair of lips lazily brush against hers. It was as if a spark ignited inside her, and electricity zigzagged across every inch of her skin, but when she opened her eyes, Delphine was already walking back to her easel. The blonde was shaking her head again.

Cosima broke the silence. "What was that about?"

She responded impatiently and almost bitterly: "I don't know, Cosima. You should go... We will just try this another time, ok? I'm sorry."

"Fine. You know where to find me." After saying this, Delphine pointed to the front door, still facing away from Cosima. The brunette took this as her cue to leave, quickly putting on her coat. She exited without either woman saying a word.

Cosima walked the short distance back to her dorm, enjoying the silence and cold air against her face. She thought about what just happened back there, and she wondered what had possessed Delphine in order for her to do that. She was jolted from her thoughts as her cell phone vibrated in her coat pocket. She hoped that it was the French woman, because truthfully, Cosima had started to develop some feelings for her. She loved the way her golden curls swept past her shoulders and how her intense hazel eyes constantly surveyed her surroundings. Or, of course, her accent. It was hard not to love Delphine's voice.

Unfortunately, though, it was only Scott wondering where the hell Cosima was.

Scott: "dude, did u forget that we have class in less than half an hour?"

Yes, she had indeed forgotten, but she couldn't let Scott know what had just happened.

Cosima: "no, i didnt forget. not feeling well. just go without me"

Scott's response came less than a minute later.

Scott: "u sure?"

Cosima: "yeah"

When Cosima made it back to her room, she hung her coat up on the doorknob and threw herself face-first onto her bed. As always, the springs creaked under her weight. She laid there for a couple moments, lips still tingling from the unexpected kiss. She tried not to think about it too much- after all, it must have been accidental or something. Still, Cosima couldn't ignore the feeling of Delphine's soft lips against hers, leaving her wanting so much more.

It was getting late by the time Cosima rolled off her bed onto the cold ground. Her rings clacked against the hard wood.

After getting a quick dinner at the cafeteria (avoiding Scott since she was still supposedly ill), she went back to her dorm, shed her clothes, set her glasses on her bedside table, and crawled into bed. That tended to be what Cosima did to avoid her feelings- she slept. Luckily, tomorrow was Friday, meaning she had no classes to force herself to go to. She figured she'd face Delphine another time, and before long, she was sound asleep.

The sun was shining brightly through the window near Cosima's bed when her eyes finally sprang open. Her stomach fluttered with hunger, but also from the discomfort of yesterday's situation. After lying in bed for awhile, she finally heaved herself out and rubbed her eyes, smudging her eyeliner in the process.

She put on her glasses and checked her messages for any sign of Delphine. Instead, she was met with a bunch of texts from Scott, asking if she was ok. She sent a short response saying that she was still feeling sick, and that she would be staying in today. Of course, it was likely that he would see right through her thin façade, but she hoped it would work anyway.

For a few moments after this, Cosima silently debated whether or not she should text Delphine. She decided to give her time, although she secretly knew that she would give in to temptation and stop by the blonde woman's apartment later.

The day passed slowly, and Cosima spent hours on her laptop, doing nothing in particular. She browsed Tumblr, checked various science journals, and started to work on her next project. Despite all of her distractions, Delphine never left her mind. She knew that she should be angry because of the unexpected kiss, but Cosima wasn't the type of person to get mad. After some time, she got dressed and decided to see if the woman was home. She needed to talk.

Cosima's red coat sat snugly on her shoulders as she sauntered across the quad toward Delphine's apartment. The walk took around ten minutes, and for the whole time, she mentally rehearsed what she would say to her artistic "friend". Would she kiss her again? Would it be awkward? She worried about this all the way up the elevator, and all the way down the hallway.

She knocked at the heavy steel door, allowing the echo of the metal to reverberate through her knuckles. She waited for a couple moments, until she heard the lock click and saw the door slide open.

Delphine was standing on the other side, glass of wine in hand. Her hair was in a messy bun, held up by a pencil. Her eyes looked tired, but she was still beautiful.

"Cosima," she looked down at her feet, "I don't know what got into me. That kiss... it was a mistake."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "No shit. Can I come in so we can talk about it?"

Delphine sighed. "Oui, come in." She stood out of the way, and Cosima slowly walked in. The taller woman motioned for her to sit down on the same stool from yesterday. She obeyed.

The two sat in tense silence until Cosima spoke up. "Why did you kiss me yesterday if you knew it would be a mistake?"

The other woman shrugged and crossed her arms. "I don't know. It was stupid of me. We can't even be together."

Cosima rubbed her forehead. "We can't _be_ together? Why not, Delphine? You can't make your goddamn _boyfriend_ upset?" She asked the last question with such malice that it surprised her. She regretted it a bit, until she saw Delphine's face grow angry.

"I've been with Jeremy for almost a year, and I met you a week ago. Who the hell did you expect me to pick, Cosima? Merde." She stood up and started pacing around the room sloshing some of her wine onto the floor.

The dreadlocked woman stood up and looked directly into Delphine's eyes. "I felt something when you kissed me, and I know you felt it too. Maybe you're scared, but there's something between us and you know it." After spewing these words out, she began to walk to the door. Just as she reached for the handle, she felt a hand grab hers.

Delphine spun her around, pulling their bodies closer together. Their lips collided in the process. Immediately, Cosima wrapped her toned arms around the taller woman's waist. The two bodies fit together like puzzle pieces as they met in their unanticipated embrace. Cosima seemed to go on auto-pilot as she let go of Delphine to unbutton her sweater.

Another pair of fingers aided hers, and soon, the sweater hit the floor. The two women let their hands wander, only stopping to catch their breath. Cosima took this opportunity to quickly pull Delphine's oversized white tank top over her head, letting it find its new home next to the sweater on the paint-splattered concrete floor.

Within seconds, Delphine had pulled Cosima against her body again, allowing her tongue to wander into the other girl's mouth. One hand moved between them, gently caressing the smaller woman from her belly button up to her chest. Once it stopped and gently squeezed Cosima over her bra, a soft moan was elicited from the smaller woman.

She took this as a chance to guide Cosima to the couch, pushing her down and straddling her with one leg on either side of her lap. No words were exchanged as they continued to kiss.

Eventually, Cosima became a bit impatient and ran her fingertips down Delphine's back to unhook her lacy black bra. She pushed the straps down her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Letting her hands wander to Delphine's front, she pulled her lips away. Breathing hard, she asked "Have you even done this with a girl?"

She held Cosima's hands closer to her body, pushing her chest into her. She shook her head gently. "Non, teach me."

Cosima smirked and took her hands off Delphine, motioning for Delphine to get up. "Teach you?" The French woman whimpered at the sudden loss of contact. "Okay, stand up please."

She complied, and stood about two feet away from where Cosima was sitting.

"Come closer."

When she walked into Cosima's reach, the more experienced woman began to unbutton her tight pants and slide them down her slim legs. To her surprise, she was wearing black lace panties that matched the bra that sat haphazardly next to the leather sofa. By now, Delphine was almost completely naked in front of the other woman.

Their lips connected again, and the sitting woman's hand quickly found Delphine's breast, firmly squeezing it and causing her to moan approvingly. Cosima's other hand wandered down a long stretch of soft porcelain skin, feeling goosebumps rise under her fingertips. This caused Delphine to force herself onto Cosima's lap again, gently rolling her hips against her.

Her tongue quickly moved to Delphine's neck, letting it explore the vast expanse of soft flesh. When the French woman's moans grew louder, Cosima gently bit down on the other woman's pulse point, eventually moving her tongue over the tender skin. When Delphine's moans became loading and more urgent, Cosima ran her hand down the woman's front, hooking her fingers on her panties and pulling them down. Immediately, she felt the woman's wetness between her legs.

Cosima ran her fingers through Delphine's slick folds, resulting in a satisfied groan from the other woman. She ran her tongue around the shell of her ear, eventually whispering into it. "God, Delphine, you're so wet."

Before the artist could respond, Cosima pushed one finger inside her. Straightaway, loudly moaned and pushed down further on this digit until the brunette introduced another. She grinded these fingers in and out, working up a faster and stronger pace. She figured out what made Delphine moan and pull Cosima closer.

Cosima worked at this for awhile, fucking Delphine with her fingers and grinding the heel of her hand against the French woman's clit. Eventually, only the sound of moans and French profanity echoed against the high ceiling.

When she felt Delphine begin to clench harder around her fingers, she only pushed them harder into the woman, curling them biting down on her neck as she felt her come undone. Only a couple thrusts later, and Delphine's fingers tangled themselves in Cosima's dreads. She let out a final desperate moan as Cosima felt her clench hard around her fingers.

"Merde, Cosima! Harder!"

Cosima did exactly this, stopping only after she assisted Delphine in riding out her high. Her erratic breathing calmed and a shaky sigh settled on her lips. The American woman brought her fingers to her mouth, sucking them clean. After she did this, she put her forehead to Delphine's, smirking at what she had just done.

"So," she said, "How was that?" She gently stroked the blonde's cheek, closing her eyes and relaxing in this calm post-orgasmic moment.

She felt Delphine smile. "Well now I suppose I know what all of the hype is about."

"Really? I didn't know people gossip about how good I am at sex," she teased.

Delphine playfully slapped her arm, laughing her usual light and airy giggle. She moved her head to rest it against Cosima's chest, allowing her to run her fingers slowly through her blonde curls that now stuck to her forehead with a thin layer of sweat. The two women sat like this for a bit, feeling nothing but each other's embrace. The setting sun displayed itself outside the ceiling-to-floor window, providing a calming atmosphere.

The tranquil moment was cut short when Delphine's cell phone rang across the room, notifying her of a text message. She sighed. "I'm supposed to meet Jeremy for dinner at eight."

"Ok." Cosima tried not to let this ruin the moment. She closed her eyes, soon feeling Delphine rise off her lap. She let a breath out, letting the French woman toss her sweater to her.

After slipping it on and watching Delphine dress herself, she stood up. "What are we going to do?"

The other woman shook her head. "I don't want to think about it right now... We'll figure it out, ok?" She leaned over and kissed Cosima's cheek. "Don't you worry."

"Ok," she whispered. Then she spoke up. "Well I guess I should go. My friends are probably wondered where I am and stuff." Cosima wrapped her arms against Delphine one more time. "You'll call me again, right?"

The artist smiled and winked. "Of course. We still have a painting to finish."


	4. Reluctance

**Hello friends! I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated last. Unfortunately, I've been more busy than I had originally anticipated, and life has gotten in the way. Not to worry, though, because I'm back on track and plan to write much more often. Be expecting more chapters in the near future. Enjoy! :)**

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><p>The painting was the last thing on Cosima's mind when she stepped back into the cold that evening. The bitter air nipped at her cheeks and fingers, and the sound of her footsteps was swallowed by the lingering sound of wind blowing through the trees.<p>

It was all the normal tranquil scene that the woman grew accustomed to- she was calm, but unrelaxed at the same time. The serene night and mystery of Delphine offered a large contrast in Cosima's mind._ "What's the deal with Delphine?" _she thought._ "What am I going to do?" _

She tried to avoid her own question for awhile, but by the time she got home, it sat stagnant in her mind. No matter how hard she thought about their future, Delphine's boyfriend always came into the picture. Jeremy. Cosima saw how he treated Delphine that night, and she didn't like it. Her mind wandered for the entire night, and when the moon showed itself outside her window, she fell asleep.

The scientist usually dreamt about formulas, scientific laws, and the meaning of the universe itself. Tonight, though, it was different. Instead of numbers and stars, all she could see was Delphine. She woke up with the image of the French woman in her mind- her golden curls, her deep hazel eyes, the way her fingers lightly gripped her cigarette. For once, Cosima woke up on time; maybe reality would become better than her dreams.

Of course, Scott had left her a couple messages; some from last night and some from this morning. He would probably be surprised to find that Cosima wasn't running late today.

Cosima took her time pulling on a pair of black tights. She followed up with a tight black skirt and loose sweater. Then, she scrambled around piles of clothes and clutter on her bedroom floor to the mirror. With nimble fingers, she fixed her make up. By the time she was finished getting ready, it was time to meet up with Scott in their usual meeting place by the library.

Sure enough, he was already sitting on their bench and flipping through a book. He looked so concentrated, and for a second, Cosima didn't want to disturb him. Her footsteps betrayed her, though, and Scott's head shot up. A smile spread across his face.

"Long time no see, Niehaus! How's it hangin'?" He stood up and playfully swatted Cosima's arm.

She responded by swinging her fist at him and stopping it a couple inches away. "Scott! Yeah, yeah, I'm not bad. Sorry I haven't been in touch."

"No worries, I'm sure whatever you were doing was important." He shrugged, never letting the smile leave his face.

This led Cosima to smile as well. "I guess." She rubbed her arms and straightened her glasses. "Shit, it's cold."

Scott nodded, pulling his coat tighter. "Yeah, I heard that it was going to be really shitty this week."

"Wow, I didn't-" Cosima's phone vibrated in her coat pocket. "Hold that thought. Sorry."

She checked her phone, spotting a message from Delphine.

Delphine: "Hang out today?"

Cosima: "class until 1 :( meet up after?"

Delphine: "Where's your class? I can pick you up after"

Cosima gave Delphine the details, trying to figure out how she'd tell Scott about Delphine. It didn't matter now, she guessed.

"Sorry, that was a new friend." She smiled a little, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

He grinned. "_Friend_." He made quotes in the air, winking slightly.

Cosima shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, Scott. Friend."

"Sure, anyway, let's get to class on time for once."

When they got there, the room was only about halfway full, so they got their choice of seats. The two students settled near the back, a couple seats from the aisle. The lecture started not too long after, and a Cosima quickly found her mind drifting away.

She began to daydream about Delphine's hands on her, and the warmth they radiated from body to body. She thought about her fingers and her tongue. Her lips. Cosima absently copied notes from the board in the lecture hall, but her mind was elsewhere. Before long, Scott was nudging her.

"Class is over, dork. Get up." Cosima looked down at the notes she took, only to see a half-page of words that made sense, and the rest of the page was covered in doodles and Delphine's name. I was like high school all over again.

They rose from their seats and walked out the door. Cosima did her best to avoid the smirk that Scott was directing towards her.

The chill was still unexpected as the cold air hit her face when she walked outside. She focused on the ground, listening to the wind until she heard her name being called.

"Cosima, Cosima!" She quickly looked up, seeing a familiar blonde jogging in her and Scott's direction.

She was bundled up from head-to-toe, wearing a coat, boots, and scarf. A loose beanie covered some of her blonde locks. Delphine leaned forward, kissing each of Cosima's cheeks. She offered a shy wave to Scott, who was looking her up and down.

"Oh!" Cosima smiled and threw her hands up. "Sorry. Delphine, this is my friend Scott. Scott, this is Delphine."

Scott grinned and nervously chuckled. "So this is Delphine." He turned to Cosima. "You should show her the notes you took today."

Delphine raised her eyebrow, but Cosima quickly shook her head and dismissed the French woman's confusion. "It's nothing, don't worry." She blushed and smiled.

Scott raised his eyebrows and smiled a tight-lipped smile. He nodded.

The taller woman's eyes darted between the two friends, eventually settling on Cosima. "There's an art exposition tonight, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me?"

Cosima nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds interesting. What about Jeremy?"

"Well," Delphine sighed. "He said that it would be boring, and he doesn't want to join me. I figured that you were the next person to invite."

"I'd love to, but Scott and I were going to go somewhere-"

Scott held his hand out and shook his head. He "shh"ed Cosima and spoke to the blonde woman. "She'd love to go with you. What time should she pick you up?"

Delphine giggled. "I was thinking we could get dinner first. The exposition opens at eight."

"Okay," Cosima tilted her head and smiled with her eyes. "I'll pick you up at six."

Everyone waved goodbye, and Delphine begun to walk back towards her apartment. Meanwhile, the two friends stood in the same spot. Scott was giddy with excitement.

"Dude, she's hot! Nice!"

Cosima slapped him, despite smiling a bit. "Yeah, I don't know if you noticed, but she has a boyfriend."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Not for long. I bet you'll be on top of her tonight."

"Scott!" Cosima gawked. "Oh my god, shut up. You're full of shit."

"I'm just sayingggg. No boyfriend is going to stop you, Cosima Niehaus. I guarantee it."

The two friends eventually settled back on their bench, catching up and talking about their next class assignment. They talked about the new book series that Scott was obsessed with, and new scientific discoveries. Scott and Cosima were the only ones in the quad, and they probably looked insane sitting alone in the cold.

By the time they said their good-byes, Cosima figured she should get back home to get ready for her outing that night.

When she got back to the warmth of her little dorm, she took a couple minutes to let the iciness melt from her bones. After she had gotten warmed up, she removed her coat, sweater, and skirt. She paced around in only a bra and tights, weaving around the small piles of clothes that littered the floor.

Silently, Cosima debated what she should wear to this event. She figured it would be smart to dress up a bit, so she settled on a dress that hung in her closet. She slipped it on, admiring how it fit around her curves. She had to admit it- she looked hot. Again, she applied a bit more make up, framing her light eyes with a line of black.

She slipped on a pair of boots and her coat, and slipped out the door. Oddly enough, it was less cold that evening. The clouds had cleared a bit, and Cosima could see the sun setting in the distance. It was quite a nice view as the brunette woman walked towards Delphine's building.

She rode up the elevator silently, and walked down the corridor to the large steel door that barricaded Delphine's apartment from the hallway. Familiarly, she knocked at the metal and let it repurcuss against her knuckles.

She heard some yelling behind the door before a tall man slid it open. Jeremy. "She's not ready yet. Just come wait for her in here." He walked back into the main room, leaving the door open. Cosima guessed that this was her invitation to come in.

She noted her surroundings as she slowly walked in, closing the door behind her. Everything looked the same as yesterday, except the air seemed a bit more tense. Probably because of the minor asshole-boyfriend aspect.

A voice called from the bathroom. "I'm in here getting ready, you can come in if you want."

Cosima politely nodded to Jeremy, moving back towards the bathroom where Delphine was. She was only half-dressed when the American woman entered.

"Hey, am I early?" Cosima adopted a concerned expression when she saw Delphine rushing to get dressed.

The blonde shook her head, leaning over to quickly kiss Cosima's lips. She smiled. "Non, you are not early. I'm late. I'm sorry."

"Oh, ok, just making sure." She chuckled and walked over to sit on the dry edge of the bathtub. She watched as Delphine ruffled her blonde curls and applied a bit of make up. Though she was hurrying, it was calming to watch.

After she pulled on a dress and slipped on a shiny pair of high heels, she turned to Cosima. "So? How do I look?"

Her hair was shiny and neat. Her make up was impeccable. The dress she was wearing accented every curve of the slender woman. "You look amazing."

Delphine blushed a bit, and walked over to gently stroke Cosima's cheek. The touch sent shivers down her spine. "You do too."

"Only the best for you," she laughed. "Anyway, let's go. Are you ready?"

The taller woman nodded.

Together, they talked back to the front door. Jeremy's gaze never left the tv. "What time will you be home?"

Delphine bit her lip. "Midnight, maybe? I don't know, Jeremy."

"Alright."

Cosima opened the door. "After you." She let Delphine walk out first, and she followed close behind.

The girls walked the short distance to the restaurant that Cosima made reservations for, and they arrived just at the right time.

Cosima walked up to the host, smiling brightly. "Hi, I made reservations for 6:30."

The host nodded, tapping at a computer screen. "Niehaus, party of two?"

"That's me."

She adjusted the rings on her fingers as the host collected two menus. "Right this way, please."

As the two girls trailed behind him, he looked back and smiled. "Date?"

Cosima's eyes widened and she looked over at Delphine. "Uh-"

"Sort of." Delphine looked back at her and smirked.

The dining room was dimly lit, and a candle sat in the middle of the heavy wooden table. They sat down on either side of the table, sharing a familiar gaze. In comfortable silence, they each surveyed their own menus. Cosima insisted upon buying an expensive bottle of wine, despite Delphine's protests that she didn't need to spend that much money. The blonde and the brunette sipped at it anyway, sharing laughs and smiles throughout the entire meal.

By the time their plates were empty and the bill arrived, Cosima had already let Delphine know that she would be paying. Delphine tried to argue, but it was the smaller woman that won in the end.

Streetlights lit up the college town as the pair walked out onto the street. They walked arm-in-arm down the sidewalk toward the venue of the art exposition.

Delphine knew exactly where it was, and she led Cosima confidently to the building, only to find it empty with a note posted to the door.

She furrowed her eyebrows and stopped walking a couple feet away. "Stay here, Cosima."

Cosima watched as she walked to the door, frowning at the note. She turned around and walked back to the scientist.

"They cancelled it this morning. They must have forgotten to notify me..." She looked at the ground, pouting a bit. "I'm sorry."

Cosima shook her head, gently putting her hand on Delphine's arm. "Hey, don't worry. I'll walk you back to your place, then. I'm sure Jeremy will be happy to have you home."

She sighed. "Okay."

In silence, they walked side-by-side back to Delphine's apartment building. It was about 8:30 as the elevator rose up to the third floor.

The blonde woman stopped at her door, searching through her bag for her key. From the other side of the door, Cosima heard strange voices. If she didn't know any better, she'd think it was moaning-

Delphine let out a quick scream moments after she swung the door open. Cosima peered inside, only to see naked Jeremy on the couch, draped over a unclothed woman that clearly wasn't Delphine.

The French woman quickly walked inside, and Cosima followed close behind.

Jeremy was startled as he rapidly got up, putting on his discarded boxers. "Del, it isn't what it looks like."

Delphine had already started to tear up. "What is it then?" She pointed to the girl. "Get the fuck out of my apartment!"

The random woman looked alarmed, but quickly got dressed and walked toward the door. Jeremy called after her. "I'll call you!"

Cosima furrowed her eyebrows and stood in front of Delphine. "What the fuck?" She heard Delphine crying behind her.

Jeremy started to walk towards Delphine. "You're early."

Between sobs, Delphine retorted. "That's all you have to say after I catch you cheating on me?"

He shrugged. "Well, yeah."

By now, Cosima was heated. She flung an arm protectively around the other woman's shoulders and walked her back into the hallway.

Delphine was still crying as she leaned against the wall. The brunette looked up at her and tenderly wiped the woman's tears away. "Stay here, I'm going back inside."

"You don't have to..."

It was too late, though. Cosima was already sliding the door back open and walking into the apartment.

Luckily, Jeremy had put on a shirt by the time Cosima faced him. "What the hell is wrong with you? You're too much of a dick to have one girlfriend?"

The man scowled. "You have no business being in here, bitch."

Almost by instinct, Cosima's foot was in the air, hitting Jeremy right between his legs. He grunted, folding over onto the ground. "Go fuck yourself, asshole."

He simply whimpered as Cosima powerwalked to the easel that she was so familiar with. She braced the large canvas under her arm and picked up a caddy that appeared to hold a majority of Delphine's paints and brushes.

By the time she walked out into the hallway again, Delphine was sitting against the wall with her face in her hands.

Her head quickly perked up when she heard the sound of Cosima's boots. Before the French woman could speak, Cosima was already helping her up with her free hand. "You're going to stay with me, at least for tonight. Okay?"

Delphine nodded wordlessly. On the silent walk back to Cosima's dorm, Delphine reached for her free hand and weaved their fingers together.

The lock stuck like always, but when the door finally swung open, Cosima learned the canvas against the wall and set the caddy down next to it. Delphine speedily shut the door behind her, leaving no light in the room besides the moonlight that shined through the window.

Easily, though, she found Cosima's lips with her own. The kiss was tender and passionate, but it was Cosima who pulled away first. She lingered with her forehead against Delphine's, sharing a sweet embrace.

"I'll get you something to wear to bed." Cosima slowly walked to her dresser, reluctantly flipping on the lamp and illuminating the room. She rifled through the top drawer, pulling out an oversized hoodie. Delphine took it graciously, and immediately began to shed her dress and high heels.

It took Cosima by surprise when she shed her bra as well, pulling the hoodie on over her head.

The smaller woman got dressed in her pajamas as well, sitting on the bed and patting the space next to her. "Come here."

Delphine instantly obeyed, sitting inches away from Cosima. The brunette wrapped her arms around the other woman, stroking her back and gingerly kissing her shoulder. "I promise everything will be okay."

She nodded. "I believe you."


	5. Euphoria

Cosima woke up with a hand stroking her face and Delphine's body curled along her side. When she opened her eyes, she saw the outline of the French woman's face hovering mere inches above hers.

"Cosima?" Delphine whispered, and the dreadlocked woman immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Yeah?" Her cracked with sleep. "What happened?"

"Nothing, really. I just had a nightmare." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I should not have woken you up."

Immediately Cosima wrapped her arms around the woman and began to stroke her back under sagging cotton material. "It's ok, I'm glad you woke me up. Do you want to talk about it?"

Delphine sniffled, sounding like she was about to cry. "I dreamt that I caught Jeremy and he hit me." Sure enough, a sob escaped from her throat.

Cosima cooed, pulling the woman closer to her. "Hey, don't cry... I'm not going to let him near you at all for a while, ok? You have nothing to worry about." She kissed Delphine's forehead. "He won't lay a finger on you."

The blonde woman buried her face against Cosima's neck. "I'm scared, Cosima," she whimpered.

"Of what?" Cosima continued to stroke Delphine, eventually moving her hand up to the woman's soft blonde curls.

"I don't think that I love Jeremy anymore," she began. "But I am still hurting after what he did."

"I think it's fair that you don't love him after catching him doing the nasty." Cosima chuckled, and Delphine let out a quiet laugh soon after, despite her tears.

"No... I think I stopped loving him before that happened."

Cosima was caught by surprise. "Wait, what? What do you mean?"

"Well..." Delphine sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. "He was never very good to me. Eventually, I suppose I realized this. We stopped having sex because he was always making excuses. Too tired, or that he had to get up early the next morning. You know?"

Cosima squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head slightly. Of course it bothered her that Delphine was discussing her previous sex life, and the blonde quickly realized this.

"I'm sorry." She let out a matter-of-fact laugh. "I just don't know what I ever saw in him."

"I don't know," Cosima stated, "Clearly he doesn't realize what he's missing. Love is overrated anyway." She surveyed the shadows in her room, feeling a faint ache in the pit of her stomach.

Delphine sighed. "I'm afraid I have to disagree."

"Oh yeah, and why is that?" Cosima smirked a bit, waiting for the French woman's response.

"Well," she began, "I know the universe can't favor any of us. Time is never on our side, and luck only comes to those who wait for it. Despite this, the wind never stops blowing. Waves will always meet the beach where they belong. People will inevitably see the sun shining through tree branches until we're nothing but a memory. All these beautiful things in the world, but the world refuses to care about us. That's why we have to care about each other."

She grabbed Cosima's hand and searched for her eyes in the faint light of the room. "The universe wants us to love each other. Even if that love is discovered on a Ferris wheel at a carnival with a girl you just met." Delphine searched the brunette's face for any sign of emotion.

Cosima nodded slowly. "Okay, continue."

"I think I've fallen in love with you."

Instead of responding, Cosima softly caressed the artist's face and brought their lips together for a heartfelt kiss. They lied back like this, with Delphine's body easily moulding against the other woman's. Cosima carefully eased a hand up and under the blonde's shirt, resting her palm on the smooth expanse skin that she found.

Before long, she could hear Delphine's soft breaths, indicating much-needed sleep. She pressed a final kiss to her forehead, producing a barely audible whisper. "I love you, Delphine."

This time, Cosima woke up alone in her bed. She rolled over, finding a note neatly folded under the place where her glasses sat on the nightstand. She opened it, observing Delphine's neat handwriting:

_Ma cherié,_

_I went back home to get some more art supplies and clothes. I'll be back soon._

_xo,_

_Delphine_

_P.S. Jeremy will be at work, don't worry about me running into him._

Cosima rubbed her eyes and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. She smiled at how the French woman called her "cherié". Cosima wasn't one to fall in love, but she could feel it creeping through her insides with Delphine.

She was still lying in bed when the door clicked open. It was the beautiful blonde - this time, carrying a stretched canvas under one arm, letting a tote bag hang off the other.

The scientist stood up, sketching her arms above her head. "What'd you bring me?" She smiled.

Delphine set the canvas down against the wall, pulling the bag down from her shoulder. "I brought more painting stuff because I am still determined to paint you, clothes so I don't get all of yours dirty," Finallt, she pulled a baguette out of the bag. "and a baguette because I come from France." She produced an airy chuckle and walked toward Cosima.

The pair shared a tender kiss, and Delphine wrapped her lean arms around Cosima's petite frame. The taller woman smelled like pine needles and cinnamon.

After the warm embrace, Cosima stepped back and looked Delphine straight in the eyes. "So tell me," she laughed and pointed to the canvas, "You carried that thing from your apartment?"

She beamed. "Oui."

The smaller woman snickered. "So strong." She began to slowly walk back toward Delphine.

Delphine repeated herself, however this time was in a whisper that was almost seductive. "Oui." By the time she said this, there was only a gap of a couple inches between the two girls.

Cosima closed this gap, eagerly grazing her lips against the opposite. She easily got used to the feeling of her partner's tongue darting across her parted lips. Before she could get bored from this, she pulled her lips away from Delphine's, only to place a gentle kiss on the side of her defined jaw.

This elicited a quiet moan from her, and Cosima felt it vibrate against her lips. She continued to trace a line from her jaw to neck with kisses, simultaneously reaching for the hem of Delphine's sweater. The dreadlocked woman interrupted the kisses only to pull the clothing off over Delphine's head.

As her lips dipped further and further down, the grasp on Cosima's dreadlocks grew stronger and more desperate. Soft moans continued to erupt from Delphine's lips as the smaller woman sucked on her collarbones, biting down and soothing the tender flesh with her tongue.

Soon, Cosima was guiding Delphine back to her bed, pushing her back and straddling her hips. With quick fingers, Cosima undid the button on the blonde's pants, standing up to eagerly pull the tight material off her legs.

She stood above Delphine, observing the way her chest rose and fell, and how her skin appeared flawless like porcelain with constellations of freckles.

Cosima pulled the t-shirt over her own head when -

KNOCK. Someone was at the door. Cosima tried to ignore it as she crawled back onto Delphine, but the knocker remained persistent.

Scott's voice was muffled from the other side of the door, but Cosima instantly recognized it. "Cosima? Are you in there?"

She groaned, standing up again. She looked at Delphine with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry, just one second. I'll just see what he wants."

Delphine nodded and handed Cosima her shirt. "Hurry, please."

"Yeah, trust me, I will." She pulled the shirt back over her head and quickly walked to the door.

Like she expected, Scott was standing on the other side of the door with a book bag slung over his shoulder.

"Sorry, Scott. Kinda busy. Did you need something?" She rubbed her forehead and leaned against the doorframe so Scott couldn't see inside.

He looked a bit confused. "Uh, well, I was going to ask if I could borrow that book you were telling me about a while ago."

"The book? Yeah, sure, hang on." Cosima swiftly shut the door and jogged over to her desk to grab the book. She mouthed "one second" to Delphine, who was still lying on the bed in her underwear.

She turned back around to the door, but before she could stop him, Scott had already opened it and begun to walk in. "Hey, by the way, I was in the quad and I think I saw a girl go-"

It's was too late - he glanced over to Cosima's bed and saw Delphine staring back at him with a shocked expression. Not knowing what to do, she smiled a tight-lipped smile and waved to him. "Hello there, Scott."

Immediately, his face turned a bright shade of red and turned away from Delphine. "Shit, I'm sorry." He took the book from Cosima's hand and began to walk back to the door. "I'll go now."

Cosima followed him back to the door and shrugged. "Sorry, man. Hopefully I didn't just scar you for life."

He quickly shook his head and stood outside the door. "No, don't worry." He adjusted his glasses. "Er, good luck, I guess? See you in class."

"Alright, Scott. Later." Cosima shut the door as he power-walked back towards the library.

She walked back to where Delphine was, and the pair simultaneously burst out laughing.

While taking a deep breath after laughing so hard, Cosima slapped Delphine's bare thigh. "Holy shit, I almost died. Poor guy."

Still red from laughter, Delphine nodded enthusiastically. "Did you see his face?"

Cosima shrugged, smiling. "He shouldn't have walked in, then. Although it's not everyday that you see a hot, almost-naked French woman."

"Oui, not Scott, at least."

"I kind of feel bad. He's not exactly a sex symbol." Cosima chuckled and smoothed out her dreads.

"Mmm, good thing you are. Now come here and kiss me." She made a "come here" motion with her index finger.

Cosima complied. She straddled Delphine and kissed her passionately. This only lasted a couple seconds, however, before Delphine burst out laughing again. Cosima looked at her with a smile. She playfully sighed. "Well it looks like we won't be accomplishing anything."

Delphine sat up. "I'm sorry! He blushed so hard though!"

Cosima didn't break her smile as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, ok, I've been cock-blocked by Scott more than once. It's not convenient."

The blonde woman's eyes grew wide. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Yeah, there have been girls before-" Cosima was interrupted when Delphine put a finger over her lips to shush her.

"I don't want to hear." She smiled sweetly.

Cosima nodded. "Okay, fair enough."

Delphine stood up and slapped the brunette woman's ass as she walked across the room to her bag. She looked over her shoulder to where the girl stood. "Take your clothes off."

Cosima raised her eyebrow. "Why should I, Miss Cormier?"

"Because I said so." She smirked. "And because I don't want to get dressed and we need to be even. Do you need help?"

The scientist eyed Delphine. "Yes, please."

"Okay." Delphine walked back across the room to Cosima and reached for the hem of her shirt to pull it off. After discarding the shirt into one of the many piles on the floor, she got on her knees and seductively pulled the pair sweatpants down her legs.

Once the pants were off, Delphine quickly stood up.

Cosima furrowed her eyebrows and pouted. "Tease."

"Oui. Well, we have things to do today."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" She adjusted the black sports bra that hugged her chest.

"Well," Delphine tilted her head, "I brought my art supplies from home, and I am determined to make that portrait."

"Okay." Cosima crossed her arms and nodded. "Deal."


	6. Hunger

**Author's note: Hey guys, listen. I know I haven't updated this little story for what seems like forever, but trust me, it's always in the back of my mind. Things have been hectic with school and things like that, but winter break is coming up and I will try my hardest to write more. Writer's block has hit me extremely hard recently, but I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things as soon as possible. Thank you for your continuous love and support! Anyway, here we go:**

Once again, the women got distracted.

This time, it was when Delphine was seated in front of the large canvas, her brow creased with concentration. She stared intently at the sketch she had started days before, eventually deciding that she should start over. To the artist, this was extremely serious business — art had always been her passion, and whenever she got in her zone, nothing could break her attentive facade.

Cosima, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. While Delphine toyed with a pencil, Cosima toyed with the hem of the loose t-shirt that she had pulled haphazardly over her head a couple moments before she sat down. Before long, she began to fidget in her seat. As much as she tried to be a good model, the brunette couldn't stop tapping her foot or humming quietly under her breath. As if all of this wasn't enough, a loud growl erupted from her stomach after only a couple minutes of sitting quietly.

The sound was enough to pull Delphine out of her trance. "Was that your stomach?"

Cosima shrugged and a guilty smile grew on her lips. "Maybe."

The artist rolled her eyes and sighed. "Cosimaaaa..."

Taking this as her cue to stand up and relieve her restless limbs, Cosima got up and walked toward Delphine. She stopped to wrap herself around the woman, letting one hand wander down the expanse of her back, and resting the other in her mess of blonde curls.

This seemed to relax Delphine — with Cosima's head rested in the crook of the taller woman's neck, she could hear her release a steady breath. Soon after, Delphine dropped her pencil to the ground and used her free hand to pull Cosima closer.

The two women shared an unhurried kiss, eliciting an almost inaudible sigh from Cosima's lips. The moment was quiet and serene, and the brunette had almost forgotten about her hunger until-

Her stomach made a hideous rumbling sound much more prominent than the first.

This time, Delphine giggled. She pressed a soft kiss to Cosima's forehead and began to untangle herself. "Come on, ma chérie, let's get you something to eat."

This caught the woman's attention, and she immediately got up and began to throw on more appropriate clothing. "Thank God. I thought you were going to make me sit in that chair until I eventually die from starvation."

The blonde woman laughed and shook her head. "Of course not. I would never let that happen-"

Cosima laughed and nodded. "Good."

"-I mean, I wouldn't let that happen until I finish this damn portrait." She winked as she buttoned her shirt with nimble fingers.

The other woman gasped with faux astonishment. "Miss Cormier, don't make me punish you for being a sassy little shit."

On her way to the bathroom, Delphine stopped and pressed her lips to Cosima's ear. In a soft but equally seductive voice, she whispered "I wouldn't mind."

This single sentence caused Cosima to swallow hard as she struggled to ignore the heat that began to grow in her core. She knew she couldn't let anything like that happen until she had something in her stomach. But maybe—just maybe—she would get back to it later.

After making themselves presentable, the women walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk to one of Cosima's favorite diners for a late breakfast. Unlike a lot of the days lately, the sun peeked out from behind the plethora of fluffy clouds and illuminated their path in jagged streaks. Despite the frost that covered much of the city, these rays of light gave Cosima a sense of warmth.

When they got to the restaurant, Cosima was pleased to find that only a couple of the red vinyl booths were filled. A couple older men with cups of black coffee sat at the counter with their newpapers, and she could recognize them even without seeing their faces. To Cosima, this diner was a hidden gem.

Of course, the hostess recognized the brunette. She was an older woman; probably well into her sixties. She was pleasantly plump, and her greying hair was tucked into a neat bun. The woman's plastic nametag had "Helen" written on it in bold capital letters. As Cosima approached the podium, she was greeted with a warm smile. "Cosima, honey, it's so nice to see you again." She let out a hardy laugh. "I thought you had forgotten about us!"

Cosima laughed with her, giving her a firm pat on the shoulder. "I could never forget about you, Helen. I've just been busy with finals, that's all."

"Oh of course, of course. You've always been such a great student, Cos. Ever since you first came." Helen smiled to herself, as if she was reliving a fond memory.

Delphine stood behind Cosima, absent-mindedly rubbing her pinkie finger against the smaller woman's hand.

It was as if this alerted Cosima, and her head suddenly sprang up. "Oh shit, how could I be so rude?" She put her arm around Delphine's waist and pulled her forward. "Helen, this is my-" Luckily she caught herself before she said girlfriend. That could've made things awkward. "-my... Delphine. She's studying art here." A blush creeped up onto her cheeks and she hoped Delphine didn't notice. "And Delphine, this is Helen. We've been pretty close ever since I started going to school here."

Both women smiled pleasantly at each other before Helen made her way around the podium to give Delphine a tight hug that caught her off-guard. "It's so nice to meet you Delphine. You're very beautiful!" The older woman didn't try to hide her wink to Cosima.

"Thank you, yes, it's very nice to meet you, Helen." Delphine smiled politely while trying to regain herself after the unexpected hug.

"Oh, Cosima, she's foreign! I think you've found yourself a keeper!" Helen grinned brightly at Cosima, whose blush only grew deeper.

The bespectacled woman laughed nervously. "Uh yeah, ok Helen, I think that's enough. We'll have a booth for two please."

Helen merely smirked in response. "Sure thing, honey. Follow me."

The pair followed their hostess to a worn booth in the corner of the main dining room. Cosima sat facing the front door, and Delphine sat in the seat across from her. Helen gave them each a menu before headed back to her station.

After studying the menu for a couple moments, Delphine looked up at Cosima. "She seems very kind."

Cosima's face immediately lit up. "She really is. I love her to death. Ever since I left my parents back in San Francisco, Helen's been the closest thing I have to family. "

Delphine nodded thoughtfully. "It's nice that you've found someone that you've become so close to."

The other woman smiled to herself. "Yeah. It's not just her, either. I'm pretty friendly with most of the people that work here." She pointed to a young man, in his young thirties, wiping down the counter. "That's Ernie. He was the one who trained me when I started working here."

"You mean to tell me that the mad scientist Cosima Niehaus once worked in a _diner_?"

She nodded proudly. "I sure did. Man, those were the days. Honestly, I'd still be working here if school didn't take up all of my time. These were my glory days."

The pair laughed about Cosima's past for a while, only stopping when Ernie came around to take their order. Cosima ordered for them both, promising to Delphine that she knew what was good here. Of course, she believed her.

They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. Cosima's thoughts were interrupted by the bell on the front door signaling that somebody was coming in. She first looked up casually, curious to see if she recognized the person. Sure enough, she did. It was Jeremy.

"Cosima, you look like you've seen a ghost." Delphine looked concerned, reaching over the table for Cosima's hand.

Before she could look away, Jeremy spotted Cosima and they locked eyes for what seemed like eternity. He began to approach Helen to be seated, but Cosima knew she couldn't let Delphine know that her ex just showed up.

Delphine could turn around and see him at any time, so Cosima did the only thing she could think of: "Kiss me."

The French woman looked a bit confused. "What?"

Cosima reached across the table and put her hands on either side of Delphine's face, pulling their lips together for a drawn-out kiss. By the time the blonde pulled away, Cosima saw Jeremy shake his head and exit the restaurant. Success.

"What was that for?" Delphine still had a dazed but satisfied look on her face from the kiss.

Cosima shrugged and regained her composure, quickly shooting a cocky grin toward the woman across from her. "I dunno. You're just really cute and I wanted to kiss you."

Delphine narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you." She looked behind her to see what Cosima had been staring at, but luckily, Jeremy was long gone.

As if on cue, Ernie came to Cosima's rescue. He briskly strutted from the kitchen while carrying a large black tray on one hand. His fast pace caused his dark hair to bounce with each step he took.

In a couple seconds he arrived at their table, depositing several plates neatly in front of each of the women. Cosima smiled, satisfied with the food on the table.

Ernie grinned brightly. "Can I get you guys anything else?"

Cosima shook her head pensively before answering. "Nah, bud, I think this'll do it. Thanks."

"No prob, Cos. Let me know if you need anything."

After she took her first bite of food, Delphine realized that she was more hungry than she thought. Cosima usually ate faster than anyone Delphine knew, but this time, she was fair competition. They both scarfed down everything on their plates, only stopping when their bellies were full.

By the time Ernie came back around, they were ready for the check.

He patted Cosima's back endearingly. "It's on the house, Cosima. We're all glad you showed up again." After this, the two got into a bit of an arguing match—she insisted that she would pay, even going as far as shoving money into the front of his apron. He merely threw it back on the table, disappearing back into the kitchen before she could protest.

With a dejected sigh, Cosima climbed off of the plush vinyl seat. "Ready to go?"

Delphine nodded and stood up. She intertwined Cosima's fingers with her own, and together, they walked to the door. Each woman thanked Helen before heading out into the great outdoors.

As they walked down the sidewalk back to Cosima's apartment, Delphine playfully bumped into the petite brunette. "So your stomach isn't going to growl when we get back home, is it?"

Cosima grunted. "Probably not for a million years. I ate waaay too much."

When they finally got back to Cosima's place, they both threw themselves onto her bed, trying to avoid the onset of a food coma.

With faces mere inches apart, Delphine sighed quietly. "We're going to have to find a way to work off all those extra calories."

Cosima lifted her glasses to rub her eyes. "What did you have in mind?"

Delphine smirked and rolled halfway on top of the smaller woman, kissing her passionately before removing her glasses and setting them carefully on the bedside table. "What do you think I have in mind?"

Cosima's eye darkened as she pulled Delphine against her. "Good idea."


End file.
